Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to integrate climate change into its agriculture policies and what funds will be allocated for this purpose.

Ross Finnie: Research in Scotland into climate change and land use has been on-going for more than a decade, with an investment of over £5.5 million. Proposals for further climate change research will be published in the near future and our on-going review of the Scottish Climate Change Programme will consider the role of agriculture in relation to our climate change objectives.

  A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture, published in 2001, gave a commitment to review climate change research and to involve the farming industry in consideration of options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This has led to two significant research projects focusing on the effect of agriculture and other types of rural land use on greenhouse gas emissions. The first project report, dealing with the contribution of fertiliser use in Scotland to climate change, will be published soon. The second project, commissioned jointly with the National Assembly for Wales, is based on modelling the behaviour of carbon and nitrogen in organic soils and will run until 2006. Executive funding for these two projects is around £0.5 million over four years.

  Guidance to farmers on managing pollution, including use of fertilisers which contribute to greenhouse gases, is contained in the good practice guide Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity which is currently being updated for re-issue early next year. Also, to qualify for the Single Farm Payment under the reformed Common Agricultural Policy regime, farmers will be required to comply with a range of measures to protect the environment and maintain farm land in good agricultural and environmental condition. Compliance with these measures will help to reduce the impact of farming on climate change. Options to reward farmers for adopting additional measures to protect the environment are being considered as part of the Executive’s proposals for Land Management Contracts.

Benefits

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many people received incapacity benefit in each of the last five years as (a) claimants or (b) beneficiaries, broken down by (i) age, (ii) gender and (iii) local authority area, and how these figures compare with the United Kingdom as a whole.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive does not hold all of the information requested, as benefits are a reserved matter. The Department for Work and Pensions have general responsibility for information on benefits and have provided the requested figures for local authorities, Scotland and GB (Department for Work and Pensions provide GB not UK figures).

  The information requested runs to many pages of print and has therefore been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Title Incapacity Benefit claimants/beneficiaries by age, gender and Local Authority in Scotland May 2000 - May 2004, Bib. number 34576).

  The Scottish Executive publishes information for Scotland and local authorities on recipients of social security benefits and tax credits twice a year. The latest publication is available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/government/btcsfeb04.pdf.

Blind and Partially-Sighted People

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what obligations there are on public libraries to ensure that they stock materials that are accessible to blind and partially-sighted users.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: The provision of library services is a matter for local authorities. However, the Scottish Executive encourages local authorities to make appropriate arrangements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Local Government Act 2003. In addition, the COSLA Public Library Standards, which have been in place since 1995, include recommendations on provision for the needs of disabled users.

Crime

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1087 by Hugh Henry on 23 July 2003, how many offences of (a) petty assault, (b) breach of the peace and (c) drunkenness were committed in 2003, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table.

  Crimes of Petty Assault, Breach of the Peace and Drunkenness Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 2003

  

Council Area
Petty Assault
Breach of the Peace
Drunkenness


Scotland
55,647
76,663
7,532


Aberdeen City
3,098
3,464
67


Aberdeenshire
1,439
2,047
27


Angus
1,259
1,604
52


Argyll and Bute
707
1,484
347


Clackmannanshire
540
682
10


Dumfries and Galloway
1,903
2,392
61


Dundee City
2,164
3,206
388


East Ayrshire
954
1,570
130


East Dunbartonshire
504
811
77


East Lothian
684
403
7


East Renfrewshire
381
589
26


Edinburgh, City of
5,558
4,136
257


Eilean Siar
189
328
41


Falkirk
1,748
2,187
70


Fife
3,930
4,667
532


Glasgow City
10,031
15,725
1,978


Highland
2,221
4,139
714


Inverclyde
844
1,251
169


Midlothian
769
714
15


Moray
957
2,147
105


North Ayrshire
1,218
2,014
241


North Lanarkshire
3,637
6,195
675


Orkney Islands
95
147
17


Perth and Kinross
1,009
1,573
97


Renfrewshire
1,646
2,111
274


Scottish Borders
963
1,063
34


Shetland Islands
158
217
36


South Ayrshire
883
1,406
136


South Lanarkshire
2,593
3,901
451


Stirling
934
1,247
49


West Dunbartonshire
1,102
1,879
346


West Lothian
1,529
1,364
103

Crime

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences of (a) dangerous and careless driving, (b) drink driving, (c) speeding and (d) unlawful use of a vehicle have been committed in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is shown in the following tables.

  Offences of Dangerous and Careless Driving Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 1999-2003

  

Council Area
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Scotland
13,964
12,302
11,955
12,700
12,294


Aberdeen City
1,285
1,075
1,149
1,147
1,060


Aberdeenshire
1,128
875
926
888
972


Angus
299
208
240
307
365


Argyll and Bute
299
315
295
304
327


Clackmannanshire
51
49
40
78
91


Dumfries and Galloway
410
391
302
392
415


Dundee City
299
264
291
301
379


East Ayrshire
270
219
183
242
207


East Dunbartonshire
176
141
135
145
135


East Lothian
104
108
108
96
108


East Renfrewshire
180
119
109
132
129


Edinburgh, City of
460
469
426
411
446


Eilean Siar
53
42
52
59
80


Falkirk
229
189
209
194
171


Fife
1,787
1,741
1,591
1,806
941


Glasgow City
1,943
1,704
1,639
1,787
1,799


Highland
640
525
602
628
803


Inverclyde
226
201
193
183
161


Midlothian
99
114
86
115
109


Moray
409
351
403
438
413


North Ayrshire
220
157
175
205
196


North Lanarkshire
635
597
598
595
686


Orkney Islands
56
29
44
57
53


Perth and Kinross
275
266
250
291
399


Renfrewshire
449
383
404
361
365


Scottish Borders
132
161
130
160
180


Shetland Islands
37
23
11
25
35


South Ayrshire
381
323
206
250
177


South Lanarkshire
859
752
655
615
602


Stirling
165
153
161
173
176


West Dunbartonshire
226
164
164
145
179


West Lothian
182
194
178
170
135



  Offences of Drunk Driving etc. Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 1999-2003

  

Council Area
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Scotland
10,821
10,712
11,403
11,782
11,566


Aberdeen City
501
457
524
559
615


Aberdeenshire
455
408
417
474
448


Angus
193
200
247
225
255


Argyll and Bute
209
221
251
286
268


Clackmannanshire
72
104
74
89
77


Dumfries and Galloway
261
260
278
250
237


Dundee City
377
377
413
440
505


East Ayrshire
200
197
218
229
242


East Dunbartonshire
141
153
113
156
139


East Lothian
120
118
112
110
135


East Renfrewshire
128
81
97
104
116


Edinburgh, City of
964
960
866
922
753


Eilean Siar
80
76
89
80
83


Falkirk
305
268
361
325
325


Fife
587
654
662
840
824


Glasgow City
1,630
1,626
1,685
1,710
1,666


Highland
652
611
702
711
770


Inverclyde
144
141
174
176
166


Midlothian
173
116
167
180
196


Moray
186
180
224
238
247


North Ayrshire
267
210
264
254
255


North Lanarkshire
707
737
753
718
679


Orkney Islands
34
44
34
40
45


Perth and Kinross
288
326
301
311
348


Renfrewshire
353
331
386
393
315


Scottish Borders
174
176
215
193
234


Shetland Islands
52
54
38
59
75


South Ayrshire
251
244
242
268
222


South Lanarkshire
553
562
605
553
558


Stirling
196
208
243
291
203


West Dunbartonshire
214
207
214
202
186


West Lothian
354
405
434
396
379



  Offences of Speeding Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 1999-2003

  

Council Area
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Scotland
125,336
116,750
123,240
111,805
180,948


Aberdeen City
3,296
4,834
3,473
6,548
20,852


Aberdeenshire
6,723
5,554
4,524
4,001
4,659


Angus
8,606
4,475
5,468
4,795
5,509


Argyll and Bute
1,599
2,741
1,766
2,122
1,772


Clackmannanshire
1,250
823
709
723
1,080


Dumfries and Galloway
11,001
9,963
8,440
6,752
10,786


Dundee City
712
1,300
1,130
1,161
2,553


East Ayrshire
2,144
2,238
1,152
1,818
5,638


East Dunbartonshire
462
382
411
340
647


East Lothian
2,627
1,876
1,072
1,884
1,054


East Renfrewshire
1,869
898
1,317
619
676


Edinburgh, City of
8,030
8,241
9,176
7,724
20,250


Eilean Siar
190
120
101
138
217


Falkirk
4,022
2,482
3,057
2,816
4,720


Fife
6,543
7,017
8,159
9,628
8,920


Glasgow City
25,478
25,916
31,353
18,805
18,073


Highland
6,321
5,557
5,997
6,846
6,182


Inverclyde
1,918
1,187
642
622
644


Midlothian
976
467
1,069
759
328


Moray
1,181
781
891
575
623


North Ayrshire
933
915
813
658
617


North Lanarkshire
4,254
2,936
3,571
9,685
28,209


Orkney Islands
165
68
19
118
63


Perth and Kinross
2,912
5,809
10,687
7,402
11,193


Renfrewshire
2,135
1,130
973
909
1,628


Scottish Borders
6,691
8,994
8,362
5,748
9,439


Shetland Islands
205
199
167
75
158


South Ayrshire
2,001
1,210
860
1,009
608


South Lanarkshire
4,798
3,447
3,811
2,930
4,564


Stirling
3,193
2,782
1,940
2,431
7,869


West Dunbartonshire
1,150
971
766
543
500


West Lothian
1,951
1,437
1,364
1,621
917



  Offences of Unlawful Use of a Vehicle1 Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 1999-2003

  

Council Area
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Scotland
52,752
56,594
60,391
67,177
67,483


Aberdeen City
2,759
2,790
3,005
3,939
3,089


Aberdeenshire
1,853
1,671
1,931
1,796
1,713


Angus
879
769
1,069
1,285
1,579


Argyll and Bute
729
937
941
948
1,034


Clackmannanshire
285
342
598
707
628


Dumfries and Galloway
1,764
1,897
1,844
2,147
1,942


Dundee City
2,058
2,240
2,325
2,998
3,858


East Ayrshire
1,127
1,168
1,105
1,424
1,364


East Dunbartonshire
525
541
536
753
592


East Lothian
530
547
633
618
677


East Renfrewshire
590
455
478
509
453


Edinburgh, City of
4,298
4,824
4,779
4,982
5,775


Eilean Siar
138
130
214
152
129


Falkirk
1,136
1,172
1,976
1,901
1,759


Fife
2,986
4,787
4,755
5,281
5,219


Glasgow City
10,668
11,039
11,362
13,351
13,549


Highland
1,475
1,737
1,900
2,215
2,226


Inverclyde
969
959
816
736
867


Midlothian
848
844
772
871
892


Moray
667
709
953
1,108
804


North Ayrshire
1,140
1,216
1,270
1,201
1,362


North Lanarkshire
3,709
4,343
4,547
4,753
4,649


Orkney Islands
67
93
90
103
91


Perth and Kinross
1,172
1,225
1,613
1,779
1,799


Renfrewshire
1,809
1,594
1,657
2,074
1,931


Scottish Borders
634
776
723
810
896


Shetland Islands
112
139
81
139
189


South Ayrshire
1,267
1,203
1,178
1,400
1,045


South Lanarkshire
3,142
3,027
3,101
2,962
3,242


Stirling
795
611
1,089
1,295
994


West Dunbartonshire
1,145
798
825
831
978


West Lothian
1,476
2,011
2,225
2,109
2,158



  Note: 1. Comprises offences of using motor vehicle without test certificate, driving while disqualified, driving without a licence, failing to insure against third-party risks.

Crime

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) crimes against public justice and (b) drugs offences have been committed in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following tables .

  Crimes Against Public Justice, Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 1999 to 2003

  

Council Area
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Scotland
18,528
18,430
20,250
22,671
24,797


Aberdeen City
864
756
933
1,349
1,117


Aberdeenshire
403
344
441
399
464


Angus
279
234
233
246
415


Argyll and Bute
292
303
497
389
395


Clackmannanshire
162
185
178
303
266


Dumfries and Galloway
489
376
438
510
718


Dundee City
1,092
821
497
577
1,591


East Ayrshire
420
378
363
388
398


East Dunbartonshire
147
152
178
198
208


East Lothian
154
188
178
242
176


East Renfrewshire
163
161
158
146
153


Edinburgh, City of
1,843
2,087
2,251
2,626
2,256


Eilean Siar
47
43
43
42
43


Falkirk
465
450
573
736
770


Fife
920
1,020
1,090
1,422
1,860


Glasgow City
4,661
4,437
4,814
5,117
5,309


Highland
559
643
837
893
1,034


Inverclyde
234
320
332
352
365


Midlothian
240
250
277
288
269


Moray
186
211
367
337
423


North Ayrshire
430
396
391
486
519


North Lanarkshire
1,015
981
1,140
1,389
1,611


Orkney Islands
24
20
23
22
29


Perth and Kinross
317
281
219
303
436


Renfrewshire
614
609
629
636
668


Scottish Borders
256
283
330
388
351


Shetland Islands
32
17
26
30
41


South Ayrshire
293
263
357
466
392


South Lanarkshire
887
978
1,087
1,003
1,088


Stirling
264
286
383
399
448


West Dunbartonshire
405
461
399
390
483


West Lothian
371
496
588
599
501



  Drugs Offences, Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 1999-2003

  

Council Area
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Scotland
31,870
31,431
36,175
40,379
40,465


Aberdeen City
1,617
1,334
1,550
2,071
1,689


Aberdeenshire
717
724
787
757
741


Angus
458
306
401
489
520


Argyll and Bute
372
450
389
512
584


Clackmannanshire
232
234
295
351
336


Dumfries and Galloway
700
448
649
775
919


Dundee City
738
707
904
1,167
1,307


East Ayrshire
773
787
785
950
910


East Dunbartonshire
284
318
465
460
479


East Lothian
208
340
217
507
371


East Renfrewshire
312
428
342
296
316


Edinburgh, City of
2,927
2,858
3,118
3,863
3,008


Eilean Siar
83
47
112
94
93


Falkirk
680
624
844
831
882


Fife
1,508
1,248
1,645
1,944
1,804


Glasgow City
7,791
8,845
9,388
9,330
10,100


Highland
1,296
926
1,370
1,434
1,605


Inverclyde
769
901
995
1,145
1,040


Midlothian
326
402
404
444
378


Moray
288
261
261
324
355


North Ayrshire
721
845
872
1,054
1,041


North Lanarkshire
2,175
1,817
2,197
3,105
2,960


Orkney Islands
58
29
27
41
64


Perth and Kinross
784
611
745
959
1,071


Renfrewshire
1,198
1,073
1,224
1,212
1,205


Scottish Borders
719
733
661
647
618


Shetland Islands
95
82
98
87
80


South Ayrshire
752
537
896
992
722


South Lanarkshire
1,482
1,512
1,864
1,733
2,397


Stirling
385
427
838
735
727


West Dunbartonshire
515
712
666
941
1,114


West Lothian
907
865
1,166
1,129
1,029

Crime

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) illegal importation of drugs offences, (b) illegal cultivation of drugs offences, (c) offences of possession of drugs with intent to supply, (d) offences of possession of drugs, (e) drug money laundering and related offences and (f) other drugs offences have been committed in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: For information from 1999 to 2001 on the numbers of crimes of illegal importation of drugs, illegal cultivation of drugs and possession of drugs with intent to supply, I refer the member to the question S1W-30310 answered on 18 October 2002. For the equivalent information for 2002, I refer the member to the question S2W-114 answered on 6 June 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search The information for 2003 is given in the following table.

  The requested information on crimes of possession of drugs, drug money laundering and related crimes and other drugs crimes is given in the following tables.

  Crimes of Illegal Importation or Cultivation of Drugs, Supply of or Possession of Drugs with Intent to Supply, Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 2003

  

Council area
Illegal Importation of Drugs
Production, Manufacture or Cultivation of Drugs
Supply of, Possession with Intent to Supply Drug


Scotland
3
234
8,807


Aberdeen City
0
8
412


Aberdeenshire
0
8
128


Angus
0
6
114


Argyll and Bute
0
4
87


Clackmannanshire
0
1
131


Dumfries and Galloway
0
5
404


Dundee City
0
7
223


East Ayrshire
0
8
233


East Dunbartonshire
0
2
122


East Lothian
0
3
121


East Renfrewshire
0
0
26


Edinburgh, City of
1
14
850


Eilean Siar
0
1
20


Falkirk
2
4
183


Fife
0
32
501


Glasgow City
0
24
1,933


Highland
0
12
271


Inverclyde
0
1
222


Midlothian
0
10
110


Moray
0
5
68


North Ayrshire
0
6
191


North Lanarkshire
0
15
448


Orkney Islands
0
3
25


Perth and Kinross
0
6
377


Renfrewshire
0
2
291


Scottish Borders
0
14
196


Shetland Islands
0
1
15


South Ayrshire
0
2
144


South Lanarkshire
0
8
311


Stirling
0
0
152


West Dunbartonshire
0
11
253


West Lothian
3
11
245



  Crimes of Possession of Drugs Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 1999-2003

  

Council Area
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Scotland
22,768
22,191
25,596
29,768
31,141


Aberdeen City
1,166
921
1,109
1,450
1,262


Aberdeenshire
548
566
582
595
605


Angus
344
225
298
371
400


Argyll and Bute
305
355
330
428
493


Clackmannanshire
159
165
190
271
200


Dumfries and Galloway
397
228
362
416
504


Dundee City
590
517
663
866
1,076


East Ayrshire
562
554
514
629
662


East Dunbartonshire
214
233
363
330
349


East Lothian
154
238
159
354
247


East Renfrewshire
240
310
275
248
288


Edinburgh, City of
1,911
1,992
1,974
2,501
2,132


Eilean Siar
71
37
78
77
72


Falkirk
476
401
548
599
689


Fife
1,040
786
997
1,228
1,270


Glasgow City
5,533
6,066
6,755
7,183
8,002


Highland
892
758
1,083
1,143
1,319


Inverclyde
529
626
646
855
794


Midlothian
252
318
286
318
257


Moray
238
189
206
263
282


North Ayrshire
593
638
663
753
835


North Lanarkshire
1,609
1,357
1,728
2,531
2,487


Orkney Islands
44
25
19
19
35


Perth and Kinross
487
355
489
580
688


Renfrewshire
823
716
865
941
908


Scottish Borders
482
484
427
453
395


Shetland Islands
76
56
61
60
64


South Ayrshire
602
455
629
746
575


South Lanarkshire
1,129
1,230
1,567
1,449
2,074


Stirling
268
301
522
557
572


West Dunbartonshire
398
525
458
748
833


West Lothian
636
564
750
806
772



  Drug Money Laundering and Related Crimes Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 1999-2003

  

Council Area
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Scotland
0
1
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
0
0
0
0
0


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0


Angus
0
0
0
0
0


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
0
0
0
0
0


Dundee City
0
0
0
0
0


East Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh, City of
0
1
0
0
0


Eilean Siar
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
0
0
0
0
0


Fife
0
0
0
0
0


Glasgow City
0
0
0
0
0


Highland
0
0
0
0
0


Inverclyde
0
0
0
0
0


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
0
0
0
0
0


North Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


North Lanarkshire
0
0
0
0
0


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Scottish Borders
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


South Lanarkshire
0
0
0
0
0


Stirling
0
0
0
0
0


West Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


West Lothian
0
0
0
0
0



  Other Drugs Crimes Recorded by the Police by Council Area, 1999-2003

  

Council Area
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Scotland
434
478
286
284
280


Aberdeen City
3
11
5
2
7


Aberdeenshire
1
2
3
0
0


Angus
0
0
1
0
0


Argyll and Bute
0
4
0
3
0


Clackmannanshire
5
0
4
0
4


Dumfries and Galloway
-2
1
6
11
6


Dundee City
0
0
1
0
1


East Ayrshire
22
6
4
16
7


East Dunbartonshire
1
1
2
8
6


East Lothian
5
2
2
1
0


East Renfrewshire
11
6
3
2
2


Edinburgh, City of
66
17
13
13
11


Eilean Siar
5
0
0
1
0


Falkirk
9
5
6
1
4


Fife
9
1
2
2
1


Glasgow City
137
357
162
124
141


Highland
63
7
3
8
3


Inverclyde
8
9
17
15
23


Midlothian
8
4
4
2
1


Moray
2
1
1
1
0


North Ayrshire
3
6
3
20
9


North Lanarkshire
3
8
5
11
10


Orkney Islands
2
0
0
0
1


Perth and Kinross
1
0
0
1
0


Renfrewshire
3
5
7
4
4


Scottish Borders
18
6
6
8
13


Shetland Islands
1
0
0
1
0


South Ayrshire
4
1
7
5
1


South Lanarkshire
13
7
4
7
4


Stirling
8
2
6
3
3


West Dunbartonshire
4
2
7
6
17


West Lothian
21
7
2
8
1

Cultural Commission

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cultural Commission has received public relations and marketing support from any commercial organisation.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Cultural Commission advertised for companies to tender for any public relations and marketing contracts.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the Cultural Commission’s budget is to be spent on research.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultants are employed by the Cultural Commission.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: This is an operational matter for the Cultural Commission. However, the member may wish to consult the Cultural Commission’s Work Plan, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34513).

Cultural Commission

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cultural Commission will be required to publish accounts and, if so, when they will be published.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive has published the Cultural Commission’s Work Plan, which contains details of the Commission’s budget, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34513). The Executive intends to publish a statement of expenditure against budget in due course.

Cultural Commission

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are employed by the Cultural Commission.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how job vacancies and consultancies at the Cultural Commission were advertised.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any job vacancies or consultancies at the Cultural Commission were not advertised.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-12017, answered on 19 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Cultural Commission

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Cultural Commission has spent on staff costs.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Cultural Commission has spent on consultancy costs.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Cultural Commission has spent on travel costs.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Cultural Commission has spent on research.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Cultural Commission has spent on public relations and marketing.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: This is an operational matter for the commission. However, the Scottish Executive has published the Cultural Commission’s work plan, which contains details of the commission’s budget, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34513). The Executive intends to publish a statement of expenditure against budget in due course.

Diabetes

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual cost to the NHS is of treating people with type 2 diabetes.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.

  The Scottish Diabetes Framework (April 2002) included an estimate that diabetes (of all types) accounts for about 5% of NHS costs. It is not possible at present to provide a more detailed estimate of the cost of diabetes, nor is it possible to calculate the proportions spent on the various forms of diabetes. The Scottish Diabetes Survey 2003 estimated that over 160,000 people in Scotland have been diagnosed with diabetes, 85-90% of whom have type 2 diabetes. However, type 2 diabetes will account for a lower share of the total costs. This is because type 1 diabetes begins at an earlier age (usually 10 to 12), is more difficult to control, and carries a much higher risk of complications (partly because of duration).

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction involving people under (i) 16 and (ii) 18 have been recorded in (1) total and (2) each NHS board area in each of the last five years, showing the year-on-year percentage change and expressed as a percentage of the population within that age bracket.

Hugh Henry: On drug addiction, the Scottish Drug Misuse Database records information on people as they come into contact with drug treatment services (Tables 1 and 2). Year-on-year variation in service provision may affect the availability of services within NHS board areas and trends should be interpreted with caution. The NHS hospital in-patient data that is shown in Table 3 relates to people discharged from acute general hospitals with a diagnosis of drug dependency.

  Information on the number of people aged under 18, discharged with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence from acute general hospitals, is shown in Table 4. Because of the relatively low number of episodes a breakdown by NHS board area is not provided.

  Over the five years, in total there were nine people aged under 16 discharged with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence from acute general hospitals.

  Figures for percentage of the population within age groups have not been included due to the relatively small number of episodes for both alcohol and drugs.

  Table 1

  New Individual Patients/Clients Under 16 Years Old Reported to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database1 Years Ending 31 March

  

 
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


Scotland
156
175
234
244
384


Argyll and Clyde
21
30
38
16
26


Ayrshire and Arran
41
19
32
20
9


Borders
0
0
0
1
18


Dumfries and Galloway
1
1
1
13
8


Fife
20
26
51
40
70


Forth Valley
4
3
16
22
40


Grampian
10
10
6
25
25


Greater Glasgow
31
55
13
11
52


Highland
0
0
0
5
15


Lanarkshire
2
6
7
13
36


Lothian
24
15
42
62
72


Orkney
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland
0
0
0
0
0


Tayside
2
11
28
16
13


Western Isles
0
0
0
0
0



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Note: 1. All figures in this table exclude penal establishment inmates and returns from needle exchanges

  Table 2

  New Individual Patients/Clients Under 18 Years Old Reported to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database1 Years Ending 31 March

  

 
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


Scotland
525
483
563
510
638


Argyll and Clyde
94
78
72
46
48


Ayrshire and Arran
106
68
104
69
34


Borders
5
4
8
5
24


Dumfries and Galloway
11
3
5
17
27


Fife
37
57
81
60
95


Forth Valley
16
10
27
31
55


Grampian
49
36
29
61
51


Greater Glasgow
87
108
47
35
83


Highland
2
2
5
8
28


Lanarkshire
24
23
31
26
53


Lothian
82
66
97
114
132


Orkney
0
0
0
0
1


Shetland
0
0
0
1
0


Tayside
13
29
60
37
28


Western Isles
1
1
0
0
0



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  Note: 1. All figures in this table exclude penal establishment inmates and returns from needle exchanges

  Table 3

  Discharges from Acute General Hospitals1,2 for Drug Dependence 1999-2000 to 2003-04P (NB Episodes Not Patients)

  

 
Age on Admission
Year of Discharge


1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


Argyll and Clyde
Under 16 years
6
10
9
3
3


Under 18 years
22
33
18
16
9


Ayrshire and Arran
Under 16 years
10
8
21
8
8


Under 18 years
36
45
49
30
19


Borders
Under 16 years
4
0
2
2
4


Under 18 years
5
0
7
8
8


Dumfries and Galloway
Under 16 years
1
2
0
1
0


Under 18 years
5
6
9
7
4


Fife
Under 16 years
0
3
5
3
8


Under 18 years
11
12
9
12
17


Forth Valley
Under 16 years
0
1
2
2
1


Under 18 years
0
4
5
3
4


Grampian
Under 16 years
7
3
4
7
3


Under 18 years
23
12
18
20
9


Greater Glasgow
Under 16 years
6
7
18
14
5


Under 18 years
30
26
42
32
23


Highland
Under 16 years
2
2
1
0
1


Under 18 years
6
2
3
2
6


Lanarkshire
Under 16 years
4
8
2
2
6


Under 18 years
12
13
10
9
13


Lothian
Under 16 years
4
3
10
8
4


Under 18 years
20
14
28
26
23


Orkney
Under 16 years
0
0
0
0
0


Under 18 years
1
0
0
1
0


Shetland
Under 16 years
0
0
0
1
0


Under 18 years
0
0
0
3
2


Tayside
Under 16 years
2
3
3
3
3


Under 18 years
6
5
7
9
6


Western Isles
Under 16 years
0
0
0
2
1


Under 18 years
1
2
0
4
1


Scotland
Under 16 years
46
50
77
56
47


Under 18 years
178
174
205
182
144



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  PProvisional.

  Notes:

  1. Includes acute hospitals (excludes mental illness hospitals and psychiatric units and maternity hospitals).

  2. Information on hospital discharges relates to episodes of in-patient or day case care rather than individual patients. Transfer cases have been included. The same patient may account for several hospital admissions during the course of a year (or across years) and will be counted each time in the attached table.

  Table 4

  Number of Discharges from Acute General Hospitals1,2 Across Scotland for alcohol Dependence, Aged Under 18 Years, 1999-2000 to 2003-4P

  Diagnosis Discharge Period3

  

1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04 P


3
13
10
4
6



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  PProvisional.

  1. Includes acute hospitals (excludes mental illness hospitals and psychiatric units and maternity hospitals).

  2. Information on hospital discharges relates to episodes of in-patient or day case care rather than individual patients. Transfer cases have been included. The same patient may account for several hospital admissions during the course of a year (or across years) and will be counted each time in the attached table.

  3. Diagnostic information is defined by using the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD10). Alcohol dependence: F10.2.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average working age population in employment has been in each of the last five years, shown also as a percentage of UK working age population in employment and broken down by (a) age, (b) gender and (c) local authority area.

Mr Jim Wallace: The number of working age people in employment can be estimated from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). These estimates broken down by age, gender and local authority are reported in the following Tables 1 to 6.

  The tables broken down by age and gender are taken from the spring quarter of the LFS. However, the tables broken down by local authority area are taken from the Annual LFS as this provides more information at a local authority level. The UK figure from the Annual LFS is only available for 2003 which means comparisons of Scottish local authority level employment to UK employment have only been made for 2003 (Table 6).

  Table 1: Working Age1 People in Employment, Scotland

  

Year
Age
All


16 to 19
20 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 49
50 to Retirement Age


1999
137,000
180,000
572,000
868,000
451,000
2,208,000


2000
135,000
202,000
558,000
890,000
453,000
2,238,000


2001
128,000
213,000
560,000
891,000
495,000
2,288,000


2002
138,000
217,000
526,000
913,000
489,000
2,282,000


2003
126,000
222,000
511,000
936,000
524,000
2,320,000



  Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarter 1999–2003.

  Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive

  Table 2: Working Age1 People in Employment, Scotland Level as a Percentage of UK level

  

Year
Age
All


16 to 19
20 to 24
25 to 34
35 to 49
50 to Retirement Age


1999
9.3%
7.9%
8.3%
8.8%
8.1%
8.5%


2000
9.0%
8.7%
8.2%
8.9%
7.9%
8.5%


2001
8.7%
9.0%
8.4%
8.7%
8.4%
8.6%


2002
9.3%
8.9%
8.2%
8.8%
8.2%
8.6%


2003
8.6%
9.1%
8.2%
8.9%
8.4%
8.6%



  Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarter 1999-2003.

  Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

  Table 3: Working Age1 People in Employment, Scotland

  

Year
Gender
All


Male
Female


1999
1,178,000
1,030,000
2,208,000


2000
1,195,000
1,043,000
2,238,000


2001
1,218,000
1,070,000
2,288,000


2002
1,203,000
1,079,000
2,282,000


2003
1,238,000
1,081,000
2,320,000



  Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarter 1999–2003.

  Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

  Table 4: Working Age1 People in Employment, Scotland Level as a Percentage of UK Level

  

Year
Gender
All


Male
Female


1999
8.3%
8.8%
8.5%


2000
8.3%
8.7%
8.5%


2001
8.4%
8.9%
8.6%


2002
8.3%
8.9%
8.6%


2003
8.5%
8.8%
8.6%



  Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarter 1999–2003.

  Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

  Table 5: Working Age1 People in Employment by Local Authority Area

  

Local Authority Area
Year


2003
2002
2001
2000
1999


Scotland
2,295,000
2,299,000
2,283,000
2,276,000
2,220,000


Aberdeen City
101,000
105,000
105,000
105,000
108,000


Aberdeenshire
113,000
115,000
118,000
115,000
109,000


Angus
48,000
50,000
54,000
56,000
52,000


Argyll and Bute
39,000
41,000
40,000
39,000
36,000


Clackmannanshire
21,000
18,000
19,000
17,000
18,000


Dumfries and Galloway
66,000
65,000
63,000
66,000
63,000


Dundee City
59,000
61,000
62,000
60,000
59,000


East Ayrshire
51,000
53,000
51,000
49,000
45,000


East Dunbartonshire
53,000
49,000
54,000
52,000
50,000


East Lothian
42,000
37,000
41,000
40,000
42,000


East Renfrewshire
44,000
42,000
41,000
43,000
41,000


Edinburgh, City of
219,000
230,000
223,000
216,000
215,000


Eilean Siar
12,000
10,000
12,000
13,000
9,000


Falkirk
68,000
64,000
67,000
73,000
70,000


Fife
163,000
160,000
158,000
160,000
152,000


Glasgow City
238,000
227,000
220,000
218,000
198,000


Highland
100,000
99,000
96,000
95,000
97,000


Inverclyde
34,000
31,000
32,000
39,000
38,000


Midlothian
39,000
39,000
38,000
39,000
36,000


Moray
40,000
41,000
44,000
43,000
42,000


North Ayrshire
55,000
55,000
55,000
56,000
54,000


North Lanarkshire
133,000
141,000
137,000
127,000
131,000


Orkney Islands
10,000
10,000
9,000
12,000
12,000


Perthshire and Kinross
62,000
66,000
65,000
61,000
61,000


Renfrewshire
78,000
84,000
81,000
82,000
81,000


Scottish Borders
51,000
46,000
50,000
51,000
49,000


Shetland Islands
11,000
12,000
10,000
13,000
12,000


South Ayrshire
49,000
50,000
48,000
49,000
44,000


South Lanarkshire
139,000
139,000
134,000
133,000
147,000


Stirling
40,000
33,000
33,000
33,000
35,000


West Dunbartonshire
39,000
45,000
42,000
40,000
37,000


West Lothian
81,000
79,000
82,000
82,000
77,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 1999-2003.

  Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

  Table 6: Working Age1 People in Employment by Local Authority Level as a Percentage of UK Level

  

Local Authority Area
2003


Scotland
8.6%


Aberdeen City
0.4%


Aberdeenshire
0.4%


Angus
0.2%


Argyll and Bute
0.1%


Clackmannanshire
0.1%


Dumfries and Galloway
0.2%


Dundee City
0.2%


East Ayrshire
0.2%


East Dunbartonshire
0.2%


East Lothian
0.2%


East Renfrewshire
0.2%


Edinburgh, City of
0.8%


Eilean Siar
0.0%


Falkirk
0.3%


Fife
0.6%


Glasgow City
0.9%


Highland
0.4%


Inverclyde
0.1%


Midlothian
0.1%


Moray
0.1%


North Ayrshire
0.2%


North Lanarkshire
0.5%


Orkney Islands
0.0%


Perthshire and Kinross
0.2%


Renfrewshire
0.3%


Scottish Borders
0.2%


Shetland Islands
0.0%


South Ayrshire
0.2%


South Lanarkshire
0.5%


Stirling
0.1%


West Dunbartonshire
0.1%


West Lothian
0.3%



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

  Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the First Minister’s statement to the Parliament on 7 September 2004 that "full employment is finally within our grasp" ( Official Report , col 9879), what its definition is of full employment

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive’s definition of full employment is employment opportunity for all so that people are able to fulfil their potential. The Executive is committed to creating the right economic conditions which ensure opportunity and employment for all. We recognise that despite the marked progress we have made in this area, there remains significant challenges ahead.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number of job vacancies has been in (a) each local authority area and (b) total in each of the last five years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Jobcentre vacancy series has been suspended by the Office for National Statistics and the Department for Work and Pensions since May 2001. However, the number of notified vacancies for each month has been available since late 2002. Notified vacancies are not collected by local authority area. However, Table 1 shows the average number of notified vacancies in 2003 by Jobcentre Plus District.

  Table 2 shows the average number of unfilled and notified vacancies for Scotland in 1999 and 2000 as well as the average notified vacancies for 2003.

  Table 1 Average Notified Vacancies by Jobcentre Plus District, 2003

  

Jobcentre Plus District
Average Monthly Notified Vacancies


Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway
2,646


Edinburgh
3,412


Fife
1,858


Forth Valley and Dumbarton
2,191


Glasgow
5,263


Grampian, Moray, Orkney and Shetland
3,479


Highlands and Western Isles
1,594


Lanarkshire
3,310


Lothian and Borders
2,305


Renfrew and Inverclyde, Argyle and Bute
1,919


Tayside
2,033



  Source: NOMIS, Department for Work and Pensions.

  Table 2 Average Unfilled and Notified Vacancies in Scotland, 1999, 2000 and 2003

  

 
Average Monthly Notified Vacancies
Average Monthly Unfilled Vacancies


1999
25,850
32,925


2000
25,117
39,925


2001
*
*


2002
*
*


2003
30,013
*



  Source: NOMIS, Department for Work and Pensions.

  Note: *Not available as series was suspended.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were registered on each government training scheme in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age, (b) gender and (c) local authority area.

Mr Jim Wallace: This is a matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information requested is not held centrally.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are registered as economically inactive, broken down by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) local authority area and (d) reason for economic inactivity.

Mr Jim Wallace: The number of working age people economically inactive can be estimated from the Labour Force Survey. These estimates broken down by age, gender, local authority area and reason for economic inactivity are reported in the following tables.

  Table 1: Economically Inactive Working Age1 People, Scotland by Age

  

Age
Level


16 to 19
93,000


20 to 24
72,000


25 to 34
108,000


35 to 49
175,000


50 to Retirement Age
241,000


All
688,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

  Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

  Table 2: Economically Inactive Working Age1 People, Scotland by Gender

  

Gender
Level


Male
286,000


Female
402,000


All
688,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

  Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged between 50 and 65 have retired early in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) gender, (b) local authority area and (c) reason for retiring early.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates for the number of people aged between 50 and 65 who have retired early in the last five years. The retirement age for males is 65 and the retirement age for females is 60. Thus females retiring at 59 or under and males retiring at 64 or under are considered to be retiring early. The estimates by gender and local authority area are reported in Tables 1 and 2. Figures by local authority area are only available in 2003 due to an enhancement to the LFS in that year. Data are not available for all local authority areas as the sample sizes are not large enough to produce reliable estimates. Information is not collected for the reasons why people retire early.

  Table 1: People Aged 50 to 65 Retiring Early, Scotland, 1999-2003 by Gender

  

Year
Male
Female
All


1999
29,000
15,000
44,000


2000
29,000
13,000
42,000


2001
33,000
13,000
46,000


2002
33,000
13,000
46,000


2003
31,000
12,000
43,000



  Source: Labour Force Survey, 1999 to 2003.

  Table 2: People Aged 50 to 65 Retiring Early by Local Authority Area, Scotland, 2003

  

Local Authority Area
2003


Scotland
43,000


Aberdeen City
*


Aberdeenshire
*


Angus
1,000


Argyll and Bute
1,000


Clackmannanshire
1,000


Dumfries and Galloway
*


Dundee City
*


East Ayrshire
1,000


East Dunbartonshire
2,000


East Lothian
1,000


East Renfrewshire
1,000


Edinburgh, City of
*


Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
*


Falkirk
*


Fife
*


Glasgow City
*


Highland
2,000


Inverclyde
*


Midlothian
1,000


Moray
1,000


North Ayrshire
1,000


North Lanarkshire
*


Orkney Islands
*


Perth and Kinross
2,000


Renfrewshire
*


Scottish Borders
1,000


Shetland Islands
*


South Ayrshire
1,000


South Lanarkshire
4,000


Stirling
1,000


West Dunbartonshire
1,000


West Lothian
*



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

  *Estimate is below reliability threshold as defined by the Office for National Statistics.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) international labour organisation unemployment rate and (b) inactivity rate due to sickness or disability is, broken down by (i) age and (ii) gender and what equivalent information it has for (1) the United Kingdom and (2) each EU member state.

Mr Jim Wallace: The international labour organisation (ILO) unemployment levels and rates for Scotland and the UK are reported in Tables 1 and 2.

  Economic inactivity due to sickness or disability is available for Scotland only; levels and rates are reported in Tables 3 and 4.

  The ILO unemployment rates by gender for the EU member states are reported in Table 5.

  Table 1: Unemployment1 Levels and Rates by Gender, Scotland and UK, 2003

  

Gender
Scotland
UK


Level
Rate
Level
Rate


Male
92,000
6.9
856,000
5.4


Female
53,000
4.5
588,000
4.4


All
145,000
5.8
1,444,000
4.9



  Source: Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey, 2003-04.

  Note: 1. Levels and rates are for those aged 16 and over.

  Table 2: Unemployment1 Levels and Rates by Age, Scotland and UK, 2003

  

Gender
Scotland
UK


Level
Rate
Level
Rate


16 to 19
30,000
17.9
300,000
16.6


20 to 24
28,000
11.4
257,000
9.4


25 to 34
31,000
5.9
303,000
4.7


35 to 49
36,000
3.7
362,000
3.3


50 and over 
20,000
3.3
222,000
3.0


All
145,000
5.8
1,444,000
4.9



  Source: Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey, 2003-04 .

  Note: 1. Levels and rates are for those aged 16 and over.

  Table 3: Economic Inactivity2 Due to Sickness Levels and Rates by Gender, Scotland, 2003

  

Gender
Scotland


Level
Rate3


Male
141,000
8.9


Female
125,000
8.2


All
266,000
8.5



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey, 2003-04.

  Notes:

  2. Levels and rates are for those of working age (16 to 59/64).

  3. Rate is calculated by dividing the number of working age people that are inactive due to sickness by the total working age population.

  Table 4: Economic Inactivity2 Due to Sickness Levels and Rates by Age, Scotland, 2003

  

Gender
Scotland


Level
Rate3


16 to 19
4,000
1.6


20 to 24
10,000
3.1


25 to 34
28,000
4.5


35 to 49
85,000
7.4


50 to retirement 
139,000
17.9


All
266,000
8.5



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey, 2003-04.

  2 Levels and rates are for those of working age (16-59/64).

  3 Rate is calculated by dividing the number of working age people that are inactive due to sickness by the total working age population.

  Table 5: Unemployment4 Rates by Gender, EU 25, 2003

  

Country
Male
Female
All


EU 25
8.3
10.0
9.1


Belgium
7.6
8.4
8.0


Czech Republic
6.1
9.8
7.8


Denmark
5.3
5.9
5.6


Germany
10.0
9.2
9.6


Estonia
10.5
9.9
10.2


Greece
5.9
14.2
9.3


Spain
8.2
15.9
11.3


France
8.5
10.5
9.4


Ireland
4.9
4.2
4.6


Italy
6.7
11.6
8.6


Cyprus
3.9
5.2
4.5


Latvia
10.1
10.6
10.4


Lithuania
12.3
13.1
12.7


Luxembourg
3.0
4.6
3.7


Hungary
6.0
5.5
5.8


Malta
6.8
10.7
8.0


Netherlands
3.6
4.0
3.8


Austria
3.9
4.7
4.3


Poland
18.6
20.0
19.2


Portugal
5.4
7.2
6.3


Slovenia
6.0
7.0
6.5


Slovakia
17.2
17.8
17.5


Finland
9.2
8.9
9.0


Sweden
6.0
5.2
5.6


United Kingdom
5.5
4.3
4.9



  Source: Eurostat.

  Note: 4. Rates are for those aged 15 to 74.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people currently work part-time but want to work full-time, broken down by (a) reason for working part-time, (b) age, (c) gender and (d) local authority area.

Mr Jim Wallace: Figures are not collected specifically for the number of people who work part-time but want to work full-time. However, the Labour Force Survey estimates the number of people working part-time who want to work more hours. These estimates by reason for working part-time, age, gender and local authority area are reported in Tables 1 to 4.

  Table 1: Number of People Working Part-Time Who Want to Work More Hours by Reason, Scotland, 2003

  

Reason for Working Part-Time
Level


Student or at school
20,000


Ill or disabled
3,000


Could not find a full-time job
34,000


Did not want a full-time job
44,000


All
102,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

  Table 2: Number of People Working Part-Time Who Want to Work More Hours by Age, Scotland, 2003

  

Age
Level


16 to 19
19,000


20 to 24
13,000


25 to 34
17,000


35 to 49
38,000


50 and over
16,000


All
102,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

  Table 3: Number of People Working Part-Time Who Want To Work More Hours by Gender, Scotland, 2003

  

Age
Level


Male 
28,000


Female
74,000


All
102,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

  Table 4: Number of people working part-time who want to work more hours by local authority area, Scotland, 2003

  

Local Authority Area
2003


Scotland
102,000


Aberdeen City
7,000


Aberdeenshire
4,000


Angus
2,000


Argyll and Bute
2,000


Clackmannanshire
1,000


Dumfries and Galloway
3,000


Dundee City
4,000


East Ayrshire
2,000


East Dunbartonshire
2,000


East Lothian
1,000


East Renfrewshire
2,000


Edinburgh, City of
8,000


Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
1,000


Falkirk
2,000


Fife
9,000


Glasgow City
10,000


Highland
7,000


Inverclyde
2,000


Midlothian
1,000


Moray
2,000


North Ayrshire
2,000


North Lanarkshire
4,000


Orkney Islands
1,000


Perth and Kinross
2,000


Renfrewshire
3,000


Scottish Borders
2,000


Shetland Islands
1,000


South Ayrshire
2,000


South Lanarkshire
5,000


Stirling
2,000


West Dunbartonshire
2,000


West Lothian
3,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

Employment

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to page 5 of A Smart, Successful Scotland – Strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland , which countries were compared to Scotland when drawing the conclusion that there are comparatively low levels of unemployment.

Mr Jim Wallace: Scotland’s employment rate was compared, using Labour Force Survey and OECD figures, against OECD countries. Further details of this are provided in the Measuring Progress Towards a Smart, Successful Scotland 2004 report.

Employment

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to page 19 of A Smart, Successful Scotland – Strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland , what barriers to entering the labour market have been identified for the most vulnerable in society.

Allan Wilson: Research for the Scottish Executive on 16 to 19-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) (Linda Croxford and David Raffe, Centre for Educational Sociology, University of Edinburgh, 2000) identified young people who have been disaffected, played truant or achieved low qualifications in compulsory schooling as being at much greater risk of becoming NEET. In addition, the research suggests that other categories of young people, such as those in trouble with the law, those with disabilities, young people leaving care, those with caring responsibilities may have particular needs. Barriers identified in the evaluation of New Futures Fund Phase 1 include: lack of qualifications, substance misuse, a criminal record, and mental health problems.

Employment

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to A Smart, Successful Scotland – Strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland , what the levels of investment in training by businesses have been in each of the last five years compared to the rest of the United Kingdom.

Mr Jim Wallace: The level of spending on training is not collected. However, the proportion of people in employment undertaking training can be estimated from the Labour Force Survey. These estimates are reported in Table 1.

  Table 1: Proportion of Working Age1 People in Employment Receiving Job-Related Training in the Last Three Months, Scotland and the Rest of the UK

  

Year
Scotland
Rest of UK


2000
26.3
27.5


2001
27.0
28.6


2002
28.0
28.6


2003
27.5
28.0


2004
28.0
28.0



  Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarter 1999 to 2004.

  Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

Employment

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to page 21 of A Smart, Successful Scotland – Strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland , what the objectives will be of the employability framework.

Allan Wilson: There is a large number of organisations involved in delivering employability support in Scotland. The objective of the Employability Framework will be to set out how these organisations will work together both at a national and local level, to provide appropriate interventions to enable individuals, including those most excluded from the labour market, to access training for work, to get into employment and to continue to develop their skills once in work.

Employment

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to page 21 of A Smart Successful Scotland – Strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland , what sources were used to conclude that "over 600,000 people of working age are currently inactive in Scotland."

Mr Jim Wallace: The figure for the number of people of working age who are inactive in Scotland quoted in Smart Successful Scotland was estimated from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and meets the quality control standards imposed under National Statistics.

Employment

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the 600,000 people of working age who are currently inactive referred to in A Smart Successful Scotland – Strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland , how many people are economically inactive in each local authority area, broken down by (a) gender and (b) age band.

Mr Jim Wallace: The number of working age people economically inactive can be estimated from the Labour Force Survey. These estimates broken down by gender and age for all local authority areas in Scotland are reported in Tables 1 and 2 as follows:

  Table 1: Economically Inactive Working Age1 People by Gender, Scotland

  

Local Authority Area
Economically Inactive


Male
Female
All


Scotland
286,000
402,000
688,000


Aberdeen City
10,000
17,000
27,000


Aberdeenshire
7,000
17,000
24,000


Angus
5,000
8,000
14,000


Argyll and Bute
4,000
6,000
10,000


Clackmannanshire
3,000
4,000
7,000


Dumfries and Galloway
7,000
9,000
16,000


Dundee City
9,000
12,000
21,000


East Ayrshire
6,000
11,000
17,000


East Dunbartonshire
5,000
7,000
12,000


East Lothian
5,000
6,000
12,000


East Renfrewshire
4,000
6,000
10,000


Edinburgh, City of
25,000
35,000
60,000


Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
1,000
1,000
2,000


Falkirk
7,000
12,000
19,000


Fife
19,000
25,000
44,000


Glasgow City
47,000
64,000
111,000


Highland
8,000
11,000
19,000


Inverclyde
7,000
7,000
14,000


Midlothian
4,000
6,000
10,000


Moray
4,000
5,000
9,000


North Ayrshire
9,000
13,000
22,000


North Lanarkshire
21,000
33,000
53,000


Orkney Islands
1,000
1,000
2,000


Perth and Kinross
6,000
9,000
16,000


Renfrewshire
10,000
13,000
23,000


Scottish Borders
4,000
7,000
11,000


Shetland Islands
1,000
1,000
2,000


South Ayrshire
6,000
8,000
14,000


South Lanarkshire
17,000
24,000
41,000


Stirling
4,000
7,000
11,000


West Dunbartonshire
6,000
8,000
14,000


West Lothian
10,000
12,000
21,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

  Note: 1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

  Table 2: Economically Inactive Working Age1 People by Age, Scotland

  

Local Authority Area
16-19
20-24
25-34
35-49
50 - Retirement Age
All


Scotland
93,000
72,000
108,000
175,000
241,000
688,000


Aberdeen City
3,000
 4,000
4,000
9,000
7,000
27,000


Aberdeenshire
*
*
6,000
7,000
6,000
24,000


Angus
2,000
1,000
2,000
4,000
5,000
14,000


Argyll and Bute
2,000
1,000
2,000
2,000
4,000
10,000


Clackmannanshire
1,000
1,000
1,000
2,000
3,000
7,000


Dumfries and Galloway
2,000
*
*
4,000
8,000
16,000


Dundee City
3,000
3,000
2,000
6,000
7,000
21,000


East Ayrshire
2,000
1,000
2,000
4,000
7,000
17,000


East Dunbartonshire
3,000
1,000
2,000
2,000
5,000
12,000


East Lothian
*
*
2,000
3,000
5,000
12,000


East Renfrewshire
2,000
1,000
1,000
2,000
3,000
10,000


Edinburgh, City of
9,000
10,000
11,000
15,000
16,000
60,000


Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
*
*
*
*
1,000
2,000


Falkirk
*
*
3,000
5,000
9,000
19,000


Fife
6,000
5,000
5,000
11,000
17,000
44,000


Glasgow City
13,000
15,000
22,000
31,000
30,000
111,000


Highland
*
*
3,000
3,000
9,000
19,000


Inverclyde
2,000
1,000
2,000
3,000
5,000
14,000


Midlothian
2,000
1,000
1,000
2,000
4,000
10,000


Moray
1,000
1,000
2,000
2,000
3,000
9,000


North Ayrshire
3,000
2,000
3,000
6,000
9,000
22,000


North Lanarkshire
7,000
4,000
8,000
14,000
21,000
53,000


Orkney Islands
*
*
*
*
1,000
2,000


Perth and Kinross
*
*
2,000
4,000
6,000
16,000


Renfrewshire
3,000
2,000
4,000
6,000
9,000
23,000


Scottish Borders
*
*
1,000
4,000
4,000
11,000


Shetland Islands
*
*
*
*
*
2,000


South Ayrshire
2,000
1,000
2,000
3,000
6,000
14,000


South Lanarkshire
5,000
3,000
7,000
10,000
16,000
41,000


Stirling
2,000
2,000
1,000
2,000
4,000
11,000


West Dunbartonshire
2,000
1,000
2,000
3,000
5,000
14,000


West Lothian
*
*
4,000
5,000
7,000
21,000



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

  Notes:

  1. Working age is defined as women aged 16 to 59 and men aged 16 to 64 years inclusive.

  *Estimate is below reliability threshold as defined by the Office National Statistical.

Enterprise

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to page 16 of A Smart, Successful Scotland – Strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland , what business expenditure on research and development has been in each of the last five years and what information it has on how this compares to (a) each region of the United Kingdom and (b) the United Kingdom as a whole.

Mr Jim Wallace: This information comes from the Office for National Statistics publication "Regional Trends". The latest figures published for Scotland are for 2002. The table shows the businesses research and development expenditure for 1998 to 2002 by Government Office Region:

  Estimated Government Office Regional Breakdown of Expenditure on Research and Development in the Business Sector (BERD)

  

1998 to 2002
 
(£ Million)


1998
1999
2000
2001
2002


United Kingdom
10,133
11,302
11,510
12,336
13,110


North East
178
164
164
119
128


North West and Merseyside
1,216
1,476
1,451
1,512
1,661


Yorkshire and the Humber
287
309
304
298
357


East Midlands
775
838
933
951
1,063


West Midlands
708
724
576
662
695


Eastern
2,367
2,559
2,758
2,916
2,741


London
643
735
810
738
950


South East
2,497
2,916
2,964
3,317
3,268


South West
898
887
867
1,025
1,274


England
9,569
10,607
10,827
11,538
12,138


Wales
125
203
144
136
182


Scotland
358
393
400
512
640


Northern Ireland
81
99
139
150
149



  Source: Office for National Statistics Regional Trends.

Enterprise

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to page 16 of A Smart, Successful Scotland – Strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks and an enterprise strategy for Scotland , what criteria are used to determine which businesses have high growth potential.

Mr Jim Wallace: It is for the enterprise networks to determine the criteria by which businesses are considered to have high growth potential. In doing this, various factors are taken into account including potential revenue and employment, impact on the local economy, and market opportunity.

Environment

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reduce the permitted greenhouse gas emissions for companies and what funds will be allocated for this purpose.

Ross Finnie: The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be introduced from 1 January 2005 and will place limits on emissions of carbon dioxide from some of Scotland’s largest emitters. The Executive is working closely with the UK Government to implement the Scheme across the UK.

  No funds directly associated with the introduction of the EU ETS will be available to operators covered by the Scheme. However, we have allocated funds to Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in relation to a number of priorities, including implementation of the EU ETS. It is for SEPA to decide how it allocates funding to identified priorities. In addition, we have contributed £71,000 towards development, by the UK Government, of a UK registry to administer allowances associated with the Scheme. No further expenditure is currently planned.

Health

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it holds figures on spending on (a) health improvement in general and (b) smoking cessation, broken down by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation zone.

Rhona Brankin: Figures for (a) health improvement in general and (b) smoking cessation, broken down by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation zone are not available centrally.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many council houses were built in each local authority area in each of the last five years, showing the year-on-year percentage change.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following tables show the number of local authority dwellings completed each financial year, broken down by local authority area and the percentage year-on-year change for each local authority. Year-on year changes should be treated with caution due to the small numbers of new build local authority dwellings.

  Currently, almost all new building of social housing is by housing associations rather than local authorities. Over the next three years (2005-8) the Executive is committed to funding the provision of 21,500 affordable homes.

  Table 1: Local Authorities where New Dwellings Completed: 1999-2000 to 2003-04

  

 
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


Scotland
69
112
65
94
0


Aberdeen City
0
5
18
75
0


Aberdeenshire
46
0
0
0
0


Fife
1
2
0
0
0


Glasgow City
5
89
0
18
0


Highland
0
0
0
1
0


Midlothian
17
16
12
0
0


North Ayrshire
0
0
5
0
0


North Lanarkshire
0
0
30
0
0



  Note: Table does not include local authorities where no new dwellings were completed in the period.

  Table 2: New Local Authority Dwellings Completed 1999-00 to 2003-04, Percentage Change

  

 
1999-2000 to 2000-01
2000-01 to 2001-02
2001-02 to 2002-03
2002-03 to 2003-04


Scotland
62
-42
45
n/a


Aberdeen City
n/a
260
317
n/a


Aberdeenshire
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a


Fife
100
n/a
n/a
n/a


Glasgow City
1,680
n/a
n/a
n/a


Highland
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a


Midlothian
-6
-25
n/a
n/a


North Ayrshire
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a


North Lanarkshire
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for council housing were made in each local authority area in each of the last five years, showing the year-on-year percentage change.

Malcolm Chisholm: The numbers of new applications on waiting lists for each local authority are published on an annual basis for 2000-01 onwards in the quarterly Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin (Housing Series)  Housing Trends in Scotland.

  This data collection began in 2001 and data are not centrally available prior to that date. The numbers reported to the Scottish Executive are for applicant households and do not specify the number of people within each household.

  The following tables show new applications to the housing register from 2000-01 to 2003-04 and the percentage year on year change for each local authority.

  Table 1: New Applicants to Housing Register: 2000-01 to 2003-04

  

 
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


Scotland
93,828
104,972
100,123
96,369


Aberdeen City
8,244
..
7,372
9,010


Aberdeenshire
3,435
3,315
3,992
4,014


Angus
2,974
3,270
2,903
2,975


Argyll and Bute
2,417
2,318
2,585
2,709


Clackmannanshire
589
1,099
1,290
1,345


Dumfries and Galloway1
2,334
2,915
3,434
n/a


Dundee City
6,019
6,505
6,685
6,784


East Ayrshire
864
3,933
4,011
4,151


East Dunbartonshire
665
1,232
1,187
1,185


East Lothian
1,153
957
1,202
1,277


East Renfrewshire
512
583
779
999


City of Edinburgh2
5,093
5,254
5,254
5,254


Eilean Siar
360
445
495
615


Falkirk
3,626
3,906
3,677
3,817


Fife
7,399
8,719
10,340
3,314


Glasgow City1
10,066
12,629
n/a
n/a


Highland
5,277
5,045
4,835
5,554


Inverclyde
2,735
2,628
..
..


Midlothian
875
686
1,104
963


Moray
1,067
1,168
1,246
2,163


North Ayrshire
..
3,128
2,888
4,107


North Lanarkshire
5,585
10,614
10,996
10,733


Orkney
233
302
246
386


Perth and Kinross
..
2,358
2,526
2,572


Renfrewshire
4,039
4,148
3,782
4,639


Scottish Borders1
2,174
2,292
n/a
n/a


Shetland
631
538
614
500


South Ayrshire
2,105
2,709
2,504
2,397


South Lanarkshire
4,921
6,355
7,554
7,230


Stirling
784
663
1,710
1,800


West Dunbartonshire
3,264
1,201
452
883


West Lothian
4,388
4,057
4,460
4,993



  Notes:

  .. Data not available.

  1. Due to housing stock transfer, figures from Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow and Scottish Borders are not included.

  2. No data available due to outstanding returns. Estimates have been made using 2001-02 data.

  Table 2: New Applicants to Housing Register: 2000-01 to 2003-04, Percentage Change

  

Local Authority
2000-01 to 2001-02
2001-02 to 2002-03
2002-03 to 2003-04


Scotland
12
-5
-4


Aberdeen City
n/a
n/a
22


Aberdeenshire
-3
20
1


Angus
10
-11
2


Argyll and Bute
-4
12
5


Clackmannanshire
87
17
4


Dumfries and Galloway
25
18
n/a


Dundee City
8
3
1


East Ayrshire
355
2
3


East Dunbartonshire
85
-4
0


East Lothian
-17
26
6


East Renfrewshire
14
34
28


City of Edinburgh
3
n/a
n/a


Eilean Siar
24
11
24


Falkirk
8
-6
4


Fife
18
19
-68


Glasgow City
25
n/a
n/a


Highland
-4
-4
15


Inverclyde
-4
n/a
n/a


Midlothian
-22
61
-13


Moray
9
7
74


North Ayrshire
n/a
-8
42


North Lanarkshire
90
4
-2


Orkney
30
-19
57


Perth and Kinross
n/a
7
2


Renfrewshire
3
-9
23


Scottish Borders
5
n/a
n/a


Shetland
-15
14
-19


South Ayrshire
29
-8
-4


South Lanarkshire
29
19
-4


Stirling
-15
158
5


West Dunbartonshire
-63
-62
95


West Lothian
-8
10
12

Local Government

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many claims of compensation were made against each local authority in each of the last five years.

Mr Tom McCabe: This information is not held by the Scottish Executive. It is for individual local authorities to maintain records of compensation claims made against them.

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of police officers was probationers in each year since 1999, broken down by police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: Information on probationers is not held centrally. The probationary period for most officers lasts two years. Some officers have their probation extended, while others leave the force before their probation ends. The numbers of officers recruited in each year since 1999, and as a percentage of total police strength, are shown in the following tables.

  Number of Officers Recruited

  

 
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


Central
26
39
16
49
40


Dumfries and Galloway
22
46
23
19
24


Fife
41
50
94
61
84


Grampian
25
115
56
67
125


Lothian and Borders
64
189
157
131
198


Northern
23
45
45
30
31


Strathclyde
257
503
312
446
415


Tayside
38
66
67
47
49


Total
496
1,053
770
850
966



  Number of Officers Recruited as Percentage of Total Strength

  

 
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


Central
4%
5%
2%
7%
5%


Dumfries and Galloway
5%
10%
5%
5%
5%


Fife
5%
6%
10%
7%
9%


Grampian
2%
9%
5%
5%
9%


Lothian and Borders
3%
7%
6%
5%
7%


Northern
4%
7%
7%
4%
5%


Strathclyde
4%
7%
4%
6%
6%


Tayside
3%
6%
6%
4%
4%


Total
3%
7%
5%
6%
6%



  Note: Figures on recruits are taken from Annual Statistical Returns from forces to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and figures for police strength are taken from quarterly returns made by forces at 31 March each year. For consistency, the figures for both recruits and police strength are on a head count basis.

Prison Service

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the diet provided to prisoners meets the recommended nutritional requirement of five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service aims to provide a balanced, nutritious diet. Prisoners are given menu options, and it is usually possible to choose five portions of fruit or vegetables per day.

Public Appointments

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to announce the appointment of the chair of the new body, Architecture and Design Scotland.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: I am happy to be able to announce the appointment of Raymond Young OBE as the Chair of Architecture and Design Scotland, the new public body being established by the Scottish Executive as the national champion for good architecture, design and planning in the built environment. Brian Evans and Malcolm Fraser have been appointed the two deputy chairs. These public appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland’s Code of Practice.

  The principal aim of Architecture and Design Scotland will be to inspire better quality in design and architecture so that Scotland’s built environment contributes in a positive way to our quality of life and our built heritage. Along with other activities, it will take over the independent design review role of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland from April 2005. Architecture and Design Scotland will have a much wider proactive role in advocating the benefits of good design and architecture to a wide range of organisations at national, regional and local level. Architecture and Design Scotland will operate as a Company Limited by Guarantee funded directly by the Executive.

  I will be making further announcements soon about the appointment of the Chief Executive and the Advisory Board Members of Architecture and Design Scotland.

Scottish Executive Finance

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will clarify the relationship between the First Minister’s statement, as reported in the Financial Times on 2 September 2004, regarding planned efficiency savings in Scotland of at least 2% per annum and the statement he made at First Minister’s Question Time on 8 September 2004 regarding savings of 2% over three years and, if the former statement was inaccurate, whether any correction or retraction will be sought.

Tom McCabe: As I said on Monday 29 November 2004, we aspire to ambitious targets of £900 million in cash-releasing savings and £600 million in time-releasing savings by 2007-08. Further information on how we could make savings at this level will be released next year. On this basis, we would average more than 2% per annum efficiency gains, calculated year on year, compared to 2004-05.

  No correction or retraction is therefore required from the Financial Times.

Scottish Executive Legislation

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of costs it has incurred for contracting out the work of parliamentary draftsmen to private legal firms in each year since 1999.

Ms Margaret Curran: No costs associated with contracting out drafting of Scottish Executive legislation have been incurred in any year since 1999 as Scottish Executive Bills have in all cases been prepared in the Office of the Scottish Parliamentary Counsel (OSPC) within the Scottish Executive.

Smoking

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on smoking cessation services in 2003-04.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive allocated £3 million for smoking cessation services in 2003-04. In addition, the Executive supported the Partnership on Action on Tobacco and Health within the region of £300,000 in 2003-04 in order to run 11 pilots to identify best practice approaches for smoking cessation support in a range of settings.

Smoking

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will spend on smoking cessation services in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06, (i) in total and (ii) broken down by NHS board area.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive will spend (a)(i) £3 million on smoking cessation services in 2004-05.

  (a) (ii) Table showing breakdown by NHS board area 2004-05

  

Health Board
Smoking Cessation Allocation 2004–05
(000)


Argyll and Clyde
171


Ayrshire and Arran
150


Borders
51


Dumfries and Galloway
68


Fife
132


Forth Valley
106


Grampian
182


Greater Glasgow
360


Highland
92


Lanarkshire
203


Lothian
265


Orkney
17


Shetland
19


Tayside
159


Western Isles
25


Totals
£2 million



  Funding for smoking prevention and cessation was identified as a priority for investment under the Health Improvement Fund (HIF). HIF is now incorporated in health boards’ unified budgets. On the basis of information supplied by health boards in previous years, it is estimated that an additional £1 million will be allocated to smoking cessation services by health boards in 2004-05. A breakdown of the sums spent by health boards during 2004-05 from this funding stream is not available. In addition, the Executive has allocated in the region of £280,000 to the smoking cessation pilots delivered through Partnership Action on Tobacco and Health in 2004-05.

  The Scottish Executive will spend (b)(i) £7 million on smoking cessation services in 2005-06.

  (b) (ii) Table showing breakdown by NHS board area 2005-06

  

Health Board
Smoking Cessation Allocation 2005–06
(000)


Argyll and Clyde
526


Ayrshire and Arran
461


Borders
140


Dumfries and Galloway
191


Fife
391


Forth Valley
315


Grampian
513


Greater Glasgow
1147


Highland
267


Lanarkshire
639


Lothian
788


Orkney
39


Shetland
46


Tayside
471


Western Isles
66


Total
£6 million



  It is estimated that the continuation of health improvement funding for smoking prevention and cessation (now absorbed into unified NHS board budgets) will mean that health boards will spend over £1 million on cessation services in 2005-06. In addition, the Executive will spend about £225,000 on smoking cessation pilots delivered through the Partnership Action on Tobacco and Health in 2005-06.

Young People

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of 16 to 19- year-olds was not in education, employment or training in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age, (b) gender and (c) local authority area.

Mr Jim Wallace: The proportion of 16 to 19-year-olds not in education, employment or training can be estimated from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). These estimates broken down by age, gender and local authority area for 1999 to 2003 are reported in Tables 1 and 2. The LFS was enhanced in 2003, which allows us to provide estimates for the NEET group for 14 local authority areas in Scotland for the first time (Table 3).

  Table 1: Proportion of 16 to 19- Year-Olds Not in Education, Employment or Training, Scotland

  

Year
Age
All


16
17
18
19


1999
11.1%
14.3%
14.0%
20.1%
14.9%


2000
11.3%
12.4%
18.0%
18.9%
15.0%


2001
14.8%
14.3%
18.1%
14.5%
15.4%


2002
13.9%
16.2%
12.5%
13.4%
14.0%


2003
8.9%
14.1%
18.7%
12.9%
13.7%



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey.

  Table 2: Proportion of 16 to 19 year olds not in education, employment or training, Scotland

  

Year
Male
Female
All


1999
16.0%
13.7%
14.9%


2000
14.2%
15.7%
15.0%


2001
16.6%
14.2%
15.4%


2002
15.0%
13.0%
14.0%


2003
15.0%
12.3%
13.7%



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey.

  Table 3: Proportion of 16 to 19- Year-Olds Not in Education, Employment or Training, Scotland

  

Local Authority Area
2003


Scotland
13.7%


Aberdeen City
*


Aberdeenshire
*


Angus
15.1%


Argyll and Bute
12.6%


Clackmannanshire
*


Dumfries and Galloway
*


Dundee City
*


East Ayrshire
13.7%


East Dunbartonshire
8.5%


East Lothian
*


East Renfrewshire
10.1%


Edinburgh, City of
*


Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
*


Falkirk
*


Fife
*


Glasgow City
19.0%


Highland
*


Inverclyde
17.7%


Midlothian
19.6%


Moray
*


North Ayrshire
17.9%


North Lanarkshire
21.9%


Orkney Islands
*


Perth and Kinross
*


Renfrewshire
*


Scottish Borders
13.9%


Shetland Islands
*


South Ayrshire
15.9%


South Lanarkshire
*


Stirling
11.9%


West Dunbartonshire
16.6%


West Lothian
*



  Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003-04.

  *Estimate is below reliability threshold as defined by the Office National Statistical.